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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. Listen to Ask a Bookseller to find your next favorite book.

Big Books and Bold Ideas

Big Books and Bold Ideas is a weekly series hosted by Kerri Miller every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

Sign Up for The Thread® Newsletter

Sign up for The Thread newsletter to get reading recommendations from Kerri Miller and other bookworms around the MPR newsroom. Find reviews for new releases, as well as hidden gems you may have missed.

Talking Volumes

Talking Volumes is back for its 25th season. Join us at the Fitzgerald Theater for four special events with renowned authors, celebrating our anniversary with a special $25 ticket price for MPR members and Star Tribune subscribers. Buy tickets here.

This thoughtful, profound thriller centers on identity and its many layers

This thoughtful, profound thriller centers on identity and its many layers

Amanda Jayatissa's “My Sweet Girl” is a twisty psychological thriller — but also a nuanced examination of identity as its Sri Lankan American heroine struggles with a murder that may not have happened.
by Swapna Krishna

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Walking through 'The Country of Others'

Walking through 'The Country of Others'

In her new novel, “In the Country of Others,” Leila Slimani explores what it means to be an outsider. Her characters fight to establish their own identities while their country, Morocco, does the same.
by Leah Donnella

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Talking Volumes: Lauren Groff on 'Matrix'

Host Kerri Miller kicked off the fall season of Talking Volumes with a conversation with novelist Lauren Groff, whose latest book is “Matrix.”
by Kerri Miller

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Colson Whitehead's latest gives readers a half-crook you'll wholly love

Colson Whitehead's latest gives readers a half-crook you'll wholly love

The versatile novelist moves away from the heavier themes that won him a brace of Pulitzer Prizes in Harlem Shuffle, a heist caper starring a mostly-upright furniture salesman with a criminal streak.
by Denny S. Bryce

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Monkey thieves, drunk elephants — Mary Roach reveals a weird world of animal 'crime'

Monkey thieves, drunk elephants — Mary Roach reveals a weird world of animal 'crime'

Roach researched animal misbehaviors for her new book, “Fuzz.” Though animals are all but charged with crimes when they run afoul of human values, she learns, they often have the last laugh.
by Dave Davies

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You haven't read a heist novel like this before

You haven't read a heist novel like this before

Cassandra Khaw's new novel follows a rag-tag band of criminals who have to pull together for one last heist — but in their hands, what could be an ordinary tale becomes visionary sci-fi adventure.
by Jessica P. Wick

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Ask a Bookseller: Crime-solving, ghost-hunting pet capers 

Ask a Bookseller: Crime-solving, ghost-hunting pet capers 

This week’s recommendation for kid readers has a “Secret Life of Pets” vibe. Angela Whited of Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul recommends the novel “The Great Ghost Hoax” by Emily Ecton, with spot illustrations by David Mottram.
by Emily Bright

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Dr. Leana Wen reflects on her memoir and the importance of public health

Dr. Leana Wen reflects on her memoir and the importance of public health

Dr. Leana Wen’s memoir is called “Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health.” She joined host Kerri Miller for a conversation about her memoir and how her personal story has shaped the public health leader she has become.
by Kerri Miller, Kelly Gordon and Sara Meyer

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